Goto Section: 20.15 | 20.19 | Table of Contents
FCC 20.18
Revised as of October 2, 2015
Goto Year:2014 |
2016
§ 20.18 911 Service.
(a) Scope of section. The following requirements are only applicable to CMRS
providers, excluding mobile satellite service (MSS) operators, to the extent
that they:
(1) Offer real-time, two way switched voice service that is interconnected
with the public switched network; and
(2) Utilize an in-network switching facility that enables the provider to
reuse frequencies and accomplish seamless hand-offs of subscriber calls.
These requirements are applicable to entities that offer voice service to
consumers by purchasing airtime or capacity at wholesale rates from CMRS
licensees.
(b) Basic 911 Service. CMRS providers subject to this section must transmit
all wireless 911 calls without respect to their call validation process to a
Public Safety Answering Point, or, where no Public Safety Answering Point
has been designated, to a designated statewide default answering point or
appropriate local emergency authority pursuant to § 64.3001 of this chapter,
provided that “all wireless 911 calls” is defined as “any call initiated by
a wireless user dialing 911 on a phone using a compliant radio frequency
protocol of the serving carrier.”
(c) TTY Access to 911 Services. CMRS providers subject to this section must
be capable of transmitting 911 calls from individuals with speech or hearing
disabilities through means other than mobile radio handsets, e.g., through
the use of Text Telephone Devices (TTY).
(d) Phase I enhanced 911 services. (1) As of April 1, 1998, or within six
months of a request by the designated Public Safety Answering Point as set
forth in paragraph (j) of this section, whichever is later, licensees
subject to this section must provide the telephone number of the originator
of a 911 call and the location of the cell site or base station receiving a
911 call from any mobile handset accessing their systems to the designated
Public Safety Answering Point through the use of ANI and Pseudo-ANI.
(2) When the directory number of the handset used to originate a 911 call is
not available to the serving carrier, such carrier's obligations under the
paragraph (d)(1) of this section extend only to delivering 911 calls and
available call party information, including that prescribed in paragraph (l)
of this section, to the designated Public Safety Answering Point.
Note to paragraph (d): With respect to 911 calls accessing their systems
through the use of TTYs, licensees subject to this section must comply with
the requirements in paragraphs (d)(1) and (d)(2) of this section, as to
calls made using a digital wireless system, as of October 1, 1998.
(e) Phase II enhanced 911 service. Licensees subject to this section must
provide to the designated Public Safety Answering Point Phase II enhanced
911 service, i.e., the location of all 911 calls by longitude and latitude
in conformance with Phase II accuracy requirements (see paragraph (h) of
this section).
(f) Phase-in for network-based location technologies. Licensees subject to
this section who employ a network-based location technology shall provide
Phase II 911 enhanced service to at least 50 percent of their coverage area
or 50 percent of their population beginning October 1, 2001, or within 6
months of a PSAP request, whichever is later; and to 100 percent of their
coverage area or 100 percent of their population within 18 months of such a
request or by October 1, 2002, whichever is later.
(g) Phase-in for handset-based location technologies. Licensees subject to
this section who employ a handset-based location technology may phase in
deployment of Phase II enhanced 911 service, subject to the following
requirements:
(1) Without respect to any PSAP request for deployment of Phase II 911
enhanced service, the licensee shall:
(i) Begin selling and activating location-capable handsets no later than
October 1, 2001;
(ii) Ensure that at least 25 percent of all new handsets activated are
location-capable no later than December 31, 2001;
(iii) Ensure that at least 50 percent of all new handsets activated are
location-capable no later than June 30, 2002; and
(iv) Ensure that 100 percent of all new digital handsets activated are
location-capable no later than December 31, 2002, and thereafter.
(v) By December 31, 2005, achieve 95 percent penetration of location-capable
handsets among its subscribers.
(vi) Licensees that meet the enhanced 911 compliance obligations through
GPS-enabled handsets and have commercial agreements with resellers will not
be required to include the resellers' handset counts in their compliance
percentages.
(2) Once a PSAP request is received, the licensee shall, in the area served
by the PSAP, within six months or by October 1, 2001, whichever is later:
(i) Install any hardware and/or software in the CMRS network and/or other
fixed infrastructure, as needed, to enable the provision of Phase II
enhanced 911 service; and
(ii) Begin delivering Phase II enhanced 911 service to the PSAP.
(3) For all 911 calls from portable or mobile phones that do not contain the
hardware and/or software needed to enable the licensee to provide Phase II
enhanced 911 service, the licensee shall, after a PSAP request is received,
support, in the area served by the PSAP, Phase I location for 911 calls or
other available best practice method of providing the location of the
portable or mobile phone to the PSAP.
(4) Licensees employing handset-based location technologies shall ensure
that location-capable portable or mobile phones shall conform to industry
interoperability standards designed to enable the location of such phones by
multiple licensees.
(h) Phase II accuracy. Licensees subject to this section shall comply with
the following standards for Phase II location accuracy and reliability, to
be tested and measured either at the county or at the PSAP service area
geographic level, based on outdoor measurements only:
(1) Network-based technologies:
(i) 100 meters for 67 percent of calls, consistent with the following
benchmarks:
(A) One year from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply with this standard
in 60 percent of counties or PSAP service areas. These counties or PSAP
service areas must cover at least 70 percent of the population covered by
the carrier across its entire network. Compliance will be measured on a
per-county or per-PSAP basis using, at the carrier's election, either
(1) Network-based accuracy data, or
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this section.
(B) Three years from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply with this
standard in 70 percent of counties or PSAP service areas. These counties or
PSAP service areas must cover at least 80 percent of the population covered
by the carrier across its entire network. Compliance will be measured on a
per-county or per-PSAP basis using, at the carrier's election, either
(1) Network-based accuracy data, or
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this section.
(C) Five years from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply with this
standard in 100% of counties or PSAP service areas covered by the carrier.
Compliance will be measured on a per-county or per-PSAP basis, using, at the
carrier's election, either
(1) Network-based accuracy data,
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this section,
or
(3) Handset-based accuracy data as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(v) of this
section.
(ii) 300 meters for 90 percent of calls, consistent with the following
benchmarks:
(A) Three years from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply with this
standard in 60 percent of counties or PSAP service areas. These counties or
PSAP service areas must cover at least 70 percent of the population covered
by the carrier across its entire network. Compliance will be measured on a
per-county or per-PSAP basis using, at the carrier's election, either
(1) Network-based accuracy data, or
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this section.
(B) Five years from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply in 70 percent of
counties or PSAP service areas. These counties or PSAP service areas must
cover at least 80 percent of the population covered by the carrier across
its entire network. Compliance will be measured on a per-county or per-PSAP
basis using, at the carrier's election, either
(1) Network-based accuracy data, or
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this section.
(C) Eight years from January 18, 2011, carriers shall comply in 85 percent
of counties or PSAP service areas. Compliance will be measured on a
per-county or per-PSAP basis using, at the carrier's election, either
(1) Network-based accuracy data,
(2) Blended reporting as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(iv) of this section,
or
(3) Handset-based accuracy data as provided in paragraph (h)(1)(v) of this
section.
(iii) County-level or PSAP-level location accuracy standards for
network-based technologies will be applicable to those counties or PSAP
service areas, on an individual basis, in which a network-based carrier has
deployed Phase II in at least one cell site located within a county's or
PSAP service area's boundary. Compliance with the requirements of paragraph
(h)(1)(i) and paragraph (h)(1)(ii) of this section shall be measured and
reported independently.
(iv) Accuracy data from both network-based solutions and handset-based
solutions may be blended to measure compliance with the accuracy
requirements of paragraph (h)(1)(i)(A) through (C) and paragraph
(h)(1)(ii)(A) through (C) of this section. Such blending shall be based on
weighting accuracy data in the ratio of assisted GPS (“A-GPS”) handsets to
non-A-GPS handsets in the carrier's subscriber base. The weighting ratio
shall be applied to the accuracy data from each solution and measured
against the network-based accuracy requirements of paragraph (h)(1) of this
section.
(v) A carrier may rely solely on handset-based accuracy data in any county
or PSAP service area if at least 85 percent of its subscribers,
network-wide, use A-GPS handsets, or if it offers A-GPS handsets to
subscribers in that county or PSAP service area at no cost to the
subscriber.
(vi) A carrier may exclude from compliance particular counties, or portions
of counties, where triangulation is not technically possible, such as
locations where at least three cell sites are not sufficiently visible to a
handset. Carriers must file a list of the specific counties or portions of
counties where they are utilizing this exclusion within 90 days following
approval from the Office of Management and Budget for the related
information collection. This list must be submitted electronically into PS
Docket No. 07-114, and copies must be sent to the National Emergency Number
Association, the Association of Public-Safety Communications
Officials-International, and the National Association of State 9-1-1
Administrators. Further, carriers must submit in the same manner any changes
to their exclusion lists within thirty days of discovering such changes.
This exclusion will sunset on [8 years after effective date].
(2) Handset-based technologies:
(i) Two years from January 18, 2011, 50 meters for 67 percent of calls, and
150 meters for 80 percent of calls, on a per-county or per-PSAP basis.
However, a carrier may exclude up to 15 percent of counties or PSAP service
areas from the 150 meter requirement based upon heavy forestation that
limits handset-based technology accuracy in those counties or PSAP service
areas.
(ii) Eight years from January 18, 2011, 50 meters for 67 percent of calls,
and 150 meters for 90 percent of calls, on a per-county or per-PSAP basis.
However, a carrier may exclude up to 15 percent of counties or PSAP service
areas from the 150 meter requirement based upon heavy forestation that
limits handset-based technology accuracy in those counties or PSAP service
areas.
(iii) Carriers must file a list of the specific counties or PSAP service
areas where they are utilizing the exclusion for heavy forestation within 90
days following approval from the Office of Management and Budget for the
related information collection. This list must be submitted electronically
into PS Docket No. 07-114, and copies must be sent to the National Emergency
Number Association, the Association of Public-Safety Communications
Officials-International, and the National Association of State 9-1-1
Administrators. Further, carriers must submit in the same manner any changes
to their exclusion lists within thirty days of discovering such changes.
(iv) Providers of new CMRS networks that meet the definition of covered CMRS
providers under paragraph (a) of this section must comply with the
requirements of paragraphs (h)(2)(i) through (iii) of this section. For this
purpose, a “new CMRS network” is a CMRS network that is newly deployed
subsequent to the effective date of the Third Report and Order in PS Docket
No. 07-114 and that is not an expansion or upgrade of an existing CMRS
network.
(3) Latency (Time to First Fix). For purposes of measuring compliance with
the location accuracy standards of this paragraph, a call will be deemed to
satisfy the standard only if it provides the specified degree of location
accuracy within a maximum latency period of 30 seconds, as measured from the
time the user initiates the 911 call to the time the location fix appears at
the location information center: Provided, however, that the CMRS provider
may elect not to include for purposes of measuring compliance therewith any
calls lasting less than 30 seconds.
(i) Indoor location accuracy for 911 and testing requirements—(1)
Definitions: The terms as used in this section have the following meaning:
(i) Dispatchable location: A location delivered to the PSAP by the CMRS
provider with a 911 call that consists of the street address of the calling
party, plus additional information such as suite, apartment or similar
information necessary to adequately identify the location of the calling
party. The street address of the calling party must be validated and, to the
extent possible, corroborated against other location information prior to
delivery of dispatchable location information by the CMRS provider to the
PSAP.
(ii) Media Access Control (MAC) Address. A location identifier of a Wi-Fi
access point.
(iii) National Emergency Address Database (NEAD). A database that utilizes
MAC address information to identify a dispatchable location for nearby
wireless devices within the CMRS provider's coverage footprint.
(iv) Nationwide CMRS provider: A CMRS provider whose service extends to a
majority of the population and land area of the United States.
(v) Non-nationwide CMRS provider: Any CMRS provider other than a nationwide
CMRS provider.
(vi) Test Cities. The six cities (San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta,
Denver/Front Range, Philadelphia, and Manhattan Borough) and surrounding
geographic areas that correspond to the six geographic regions specified by
the February 7, 2014 ATIS Document, “Considerations in Selecting Indoor Test
Regions,” for testing of indoor location technologies.
(2) Indoor location accuracy standards: CMRS providers subject to this
section shall meet the following requirements:
(i) Horizontal location. (A) Nationwide CMRS providers shall provide;
dispatchable location, or ; x/y location within 50 meters, for the following
percentages of wireless 911 calls within the following timeframes, measured
from the effective date of the adoption of this rule:
(1) Within 2 years: 40 percent of all wireless 911 calls.
(2) Within 3 years: 50 percent of all wireless 911 calls.
(3) Within 5 years: 70 percent of all wireless 911 calls.
(4) Within 6 years: 80 percent of all wireless 911 calls.
(B) Non-nationwide CMRS providers shall provide; dispatchable location or;
x/y location within 50 meters, for the following percentages of wireless 911
calls within the following timeframes, measured from the effective date of
the adoption of this rule:
(1) Within 2 years: 40 percent of all wireless 911 calls.
(2) Within 3 years: 50 percent of all wireless 911 calls.
(3) Within 5 years or within six months of deploying a
commercially-operating VoLTE platform in their network, whichever is later:
70 percent of all wireless 911 calls.
(4) Within 6 years or within one year of deploying a commercially-operating
VoLTE platform in their network, whichever is later: 80 percent of all
wireless 911 calls.
(ii) Vertical location. CMRS providers shall provide vertical location
information with wireless 911 calls as described in this section within the
following timeframes measured from the effective date of the adoption of
this rule:
(A) Within 3 years: All CMRS providers shall make uncompensated barometric
data available to PSAPs with respect to any 911 call placed from any handset
that has the capability to deliver barometric sensor information.
(B) Within 3 years: Nationwide CMRS providers shall develop one or more
z-axis accuracy metrics validated by an independently administered and
transparent test bed process as described in paragraph (i)(3)(i) of this
section, and shall submit the proposed metric or metrics, supported by a
report of the results of such development and testing, to the Commission for
approval.
(C) Within 6 years: In each of the top 25 CMAs, nationwide CMRS providers
shall deploy either;) dispatchable location, or ; z-axis technology in
compliance with any z-axis accuracy metric that has been approved by the
Commission,
(1) In each CMA where dispatchable location is used: nationwide CMRS
providers must ensure that the NEAD is populated with a sufficient number of
total dispatchable location reference points to equal 25 percent of the CMA
population.
(2) In each CMA where z-axis technology is used: nationwide CMRS providers
must deploy z-axis technology to cover 80 percent of the CMA population.
(D) Within 8 years: In each of the top 50 CMAs, nationwide CMRS providers
shall deploy either
(1) Dispatchable location or;
(2) Such z-axis technology in compliance with any z-axis accuracy metric
that has been approved by the Commission.
(E) Non-nationwide CMRS providers that serve any of the top 25 or 50 CMAs
will have an additional year to meet each of the benchmarks in paragraphs
(i)(2)(ii)(C) and (D) of this section.
(iii) Compliance. Within 60 days after each benchmark date specified in
paragraphs (i)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section, CMRS providers must certify
that they are in compliance with the location accuracy requirements
applicable to them as of that date. CMRS providers shall be presumed to be
in compliance by certifying that they have complied with the test bed and
live call data provisions described in paragraph (i)(3) of this section.
(A) All CMRS providers must certify that the indoor location technology (or
technologies) used in their networks are deployed consistently with the
manner in which they have been tested in the test bed. A CMRS provider must
update certification whenever it introduces a new technology into its
network or otherwise modifies its network, such that previous performance in
the test bed would no longer be consistent with the technology's modified
deployment.
(B) CMRS providers that provide quarterly reports of live call data in one
or more of the six test cities specified in paragraph (i)(1)(vi) of this
section must certify that their deployment of location technologies
throughout their coverage area is consistent with their deployment of the
same technologies in the areas that are used for live call data reporting.
(C) Non-nationwide CMRS providers that do not provide service or report
quarterly live call data in any of the six test cities specified in
paragraph (i)(1)(vi) of this section must certify that they have verified
based on their own live call data that they are in compliance with the
requirements of paragraphs (i)(2)(i)(B) and (ii) of this section.
(iv) Enforcement. PSAPs may seek Commission enforcement within their
geographic service area of the requirements of paragraphs (i)(2)(i) and (ii)
of this section, but only so long as they have implemented policies that are
designed to obtain all location information made available by CMRS providers
when initiating and delivering 911 calls to the PSAP. Prior to seeking
Commission enforcement, a PSAP must provide the CMRS provider with [30] days
written notice, and the CMRS provider shall have an opportunity to address
the issue informally. If the issue has not been addressed to the PSAP's
satisfaction within 90 days, the PSAP may seek enforcement relief.
(3) Indoor location accuracy testing and live call data reporting—(i) Indoor
location accuracy test bed. CMRS providers must establish the test bed
described in this section within 12 months of the effective date of this
rule. CMRS providers must validate technologies intended for indoor
location, including dispatchable location technologies and technologies that
deliver horizontal and/or vertical coordinates, through an independently
administered and transparent test bed process, in order for such
technologies to be presumed to comply with the location accuracy
requirements of this paragraph. The test bed shall meet the following
minimal requirements in order for the test results to be considered valid
for compliance purposes:
(A) Include testing in representative indoor environments, including dense
urban, urban, suburban and rural morphologies;
(B) Test for performance attributes including location accuracy (ground
truth as measured in the test bed), latency (Time to First Fix), and
reliability (yield); and
(C) Each test call (or equivalent) shall be independent from prior calls and
accuracy will be based on the first location delivered after the call is
initiated.
(D) In complying with paragraph (i)(3)(i)(B) of this section, CMRS providers
shall measure yield separately for each individual indoor location
morphology (dense urban, urban, suburban, and rural) in the test bed, and
based upon the specific type of location technology that the provider
intends to deploy in real-world areas represented by that particular
morphology. CMRS providers must base the yield percentage based on the
number of test calls that deliver a location in compliance with any
applicable indoor location accuracy requirements, compared to the total
number of calls that successfully connect to the testing network. CMRS
providers may exclude test calls that are dropped or otherwise disconnected
in 10 seconds or less from calculation of the yield percentage (both the
denominator and numerator).
(ii) Collection and reporting of aggregate live 911 call location data. CMRS
providers providing service in any of the Test Cities or portions thereof
must collect and report aggregate data on the location technologies used for
live 911 calls in those areas.
(A) CMRS providers subject to this section shall identify and collect
information regarding the location technology or technologies used for each
911 call in the reporting area during the calling period.
(B) CMRS providers subject to this section shall report Test City call
location data on a quarterly basis to the Commission, the National Emergency
Number Association, the Association of Public Safety Communications
Officials, and the National Association of State 911 Administrators, with
the first report due 18 months from the effective date of rules adopted in
this proceeding.
(C) CMRS providers subject to this section shall also provide quarterly live
call data on a more granular basis that allows evaluation of the performance
of individual location technologies within different morphologies (e.g.,
dense urban, urban, suburban, rural). To the extent available, live call
data for all CMRS providers shall delineate based on a per technology basis
accumulated and so identified for:
(1) Each of the ATIS ESIF morphologies;
(2) On a reasonable community level basis; or
(3) By census block. This more granular data will be used for evaluation and
not for compliance purposes.
(D) Non-nationwide CMRS providers that operate in a single Test City need
only report live 911 call data from that city or portion thereof that they
cover. Non-nationwide CMRS providers that operate in more than one Test City
must report live 911 call data only in half of the regions (as selected by
the provider). In the event a non-nationwide CMRS provider begins coverage
in a Test City it previously did not serve, it must update its certification
pursuant to paragraph (i)(2)(iii)(C) of this section to reflect this change
in its network and begin reporting data from the appropriate areas. All
non-nationwide CMRS providers must report their Test City live call data
every 6 months, beginning 18 months from the effective date of rules adopted
in this proceeding.
(E) Non-nationwide CMRS providers that do not provide coverage in any of the
Test Cities can satisfy the requirement of paragraph (i)(3)(ii) of this
section by collecting and reporting data based on the largest county within
its footprint. In addition, where a non-nationwide CMRS provider serves more
than one of the ATIS ESIF morphologies, it must include a sufficient number
of representative counties to cover each morphology.
(iii) Data retention. CMRS providers shall retain testing and live call data
gathered pursuant to this section for a period of 2 years.
(4) Submission of plans and reports. The following reporting and
certification obligations apply to all CMRS providers subject to this
section, which may be filed electronically in PS Docket No. 07-114:
(i) Initial implementation plan. No later than 18 months from the effective
date of the adoption of this rule, nationwide CMRS providers shall report to
the Commission on their plans for meeting the indoor location accuracy
requirements of paragraph (i)(2) of this section. Non-nationwide CMRS
providers will have an additional 6 months to submit their implementation
plans.
(ii) Progress reports. No later than 18 months from the effective date of
the adoption of this rule, each CMRS provider shall file a progress report
on implementation of indoor location accuracy requirements. Non-nationwide
CMRS providers will have an additional 6 months to submit their progress
reports. All CMRS providers shall provide an additional progress report no
later than 36 months from the effective date of the adoption of this rule.
The 36-month reports shall indicate what progress the provider has made
consistent with its implementation plan, and the nationwide CMRS providers
shall include an assessment of their deployment of dispatchable location
solutions. For any CMRS provider participating in the development of the
NEAD database, this progress report must include detail as to the
implementation of the NEAD database described in paragraphs (i)(4)(iii) and
(iv) of this section.
(iii) NEAD privacy and security plan. Prior to activation of the NEAD but no
later than 18 months from the effective date of the adoption of this rule,
the nationwide CMRS providers shall file with the Commission and request
approval for a security and privacy plan for the administration and
operation of the NEAD. The plan must include the identity of an
administrator for the NEAD, who will serve as a point of contact for the
Commission and shall be accountable for the effectiveness of the security,
privacy, and resiliency measures.
(iv) NEAD use certification. Prior to use of the NEAD or any information
contained therein to meet such requirements, CMRS providers must certify
that they will not use the NEAD or associated data for any non-911 purpose,
except as otherwise required by law.
(j) Confidence and uncertainty data. (1) Except as provided in paragraphs
(j)(2)-(3) of this section, CMRS providers subject to this section shall
provide for all wireless 911 calls, whether from outdoor or indoor
locations, x- and y-axis (latitude, longitude) confidence and uncertainty
information (C/U data) on a per-call basis upon the request of a PSAP. The
data shall specify
(i) The caller's location with a uniform confidence level of 90 percent,
and;
(ii) The radius in meters from the reported position at that same confidence
level. All entities responsible for transporting confidence and uncertainty
between CMRS providers and PSAPs, including LECs, CLECs, owners of E911
networks, and emergency service providers, must enable the transmission of
confidence and uncertainty data provided by CMRS providers to the requesting
PSAP.
(2) Upon meeting the 3-year timeframe pursuant to paragraph (i)(2)(i) of
this section, CMRS providers shall provide with wireless 911 calls that have
a dispatchable location the C/U data for the x- and y-axis (latitude,
longitude) required under paragraph (j)(1) of this section.
(3) Upon meeting the 6-year timeframe pursuant to paragraph (i)(2)(i) of
this section, CMRS providers shall provide with wireless 911 calls that have
a dispatchable location the C/U data for the x- and y-axis (latitude,
longitude) required under paragraph (j)(1) of this section.
(k) Provision of live 911 call data for PSAPs. Notwithstanding other 911
call data collection and reporting requirements in paragraph (i) of this
section, CMRS providers must record information on all live 911 calls,
including, but not limited to, the positioning source method used to provide
a location fix associated with the call. CMRS providers must also record the
confidence and uncertainty data that they provide pursuant to paragraphs
(j)(1) through (3) of this section. This information must be made available
to PSAPs upon request, and shall be retained for a period of two years.
(l) Reports on Phase II plans. Licensees subject to this section shall
report to the Commission their plans for implementing Phase II enhanced 911
service, including the location-determination technology they plan to employ
and the procedure they intend to use to verify conformance with the Phase II
accuracy requirements by November 9, 2000. Licensees are required to update
these plans within thirty days of the adoption of any change. These reports
and updates may be filed electronically in a manner to be designated by the
Commission.
(m) Conditions for enhanced 911 services—(1) Generally. The requirements set
forth in paragraphs (d) through (h)(2) and in paragraph (j) of this section
shall be applicable only to the extent that the administrator of the
applicable designated PSAP has requested the services required under those
paragraphs and such PSAP is capable of receiving and utilizing the requested
data elements and has a mechanism for recovering the PSAP's costs associated
with them.
(2) Commencement of six-month period. (i) Except as provided in paragraph
(ii) of this section, for purposes of commencing the six-month period for
carrier implementation specified in paragraphs (d), (f) and (g) of this
section, a PSAP will be deemed capable of receiving and utilizing the data
elements associated with the service requested, if it can demonstrate that
it has:
(A) Ordered the necessary equipment and has commitments from suppliers to
have it installed and operational within such six-month period; and
(B) Made a timely request to the appropriate local exchange carrier for the
necessary trunking, upgrades, and other facilities.
(ii) For purposes of commencing the six-month period for carrier
implementation specified in paragraphs (f) and (g) of this section, a PSAP
that is Phase I-capable using a Non-Call Path Associated Signaling (NCAS)
technology will be deemed capable of receiving and utilizing the data
elements associated with Phase II service if it can demonstrate that it has
made a timely request to the appropriate local exchange carrier for the ALI
database upgrade necessary to receive the Phase II information.
(3) Tolling of six-month period. Where a wireless carrier has served a
written request for documentation on the PSAP within 15 days of receiving
the PSAP's request for Phase I or Phase II enhanced 911 service, and the
PSAP fails to respond to such request within 15 days of such service, the
six-month period for carrier implementation specified in paragraphs (d),
(f), and (g) of this section will be tolled until the PSAP provides the
carrier with such documentation.
(4) Carrier certification regarding PSAP readiness issues. At the end of the
six-month period for carrier implementation specified in paragraphs (d), (f)
and (g) of this section, a wireless carrier that believes that the PSAP is
not capable of receiving and utilizing the data elements associated with the
service requested may file a certification with the Commission. Upon filing
and service of such certification, the carrier may suspend further
implementation efforts, except as provided in paragraph (j)(4)(x) of this
section.
(i) As a prerequisite to filing such certification, no later than 21 days
prior to such filing, the wireless carrier must notify the affected PSAP, in
writing, of its intent to file such certification. Any response that the
carrier receives from the PSAP must be included with the carrier's
certification filing.
(ii) The certification process shall be subject to the procedural
requirements set forth in sections 1.45 and 1.47 of this chapter.
(iii) The certification must be in the form of an affidavit signed by a
director or officer of the carrier, documenting:
(A) The basis for the carrier's determination that the PSAP will not be
ready;
(B) Each of the specific steps the carrier has taken to provide the E911
service requested;
(C) The reasons why further implementation efforts cannot be made until the
PSAP becomes capable of receiving and utilizing the data elements associated
with the E911 service requested; and
(D) The specific steps that remain to be completed by the wireless carrier
and, to the extent known, the PSAP or other parties before the carrier can
provide the E911 service requested.
(iv) All affidavits must be correct. The carrier must ensure that its
affidavit is correct, and the certifying director or officer has the duty to
personally determine that the affidavit is correct.
(v) A carrier may not engage in a practice of filing inadequate or
incomplete certifications for the purpose of delaying its responsibilities.
(vi) To be eligible to make a certification, the wireless carrier must have
completed all necessary steps toward E911 implementation that are not
dependent on PSAP readiness.
(vii) A copy of the certification must be served on the PSAP in accordance
with § 1.47 of this chapter. The PSAP may challenge in writing the accuracy
of the carrier's certification and shall serve a copy of such challenge on
the carrier. See § § 1.45 and 1.47 and § § 1.720 through 1.736 of this chapter.
(viii) If a wireless carrier's certification is facially inadequate, the
six-month implementation period specified in paragraphs (d), (f) and (g) of
this section will not be suspended as provided for in paragraph (j)(4) of
this section.
(ix) If a wireless carrier's certification is inaccurate, the wireless
carrier will be liable for noncompliance as if the certification had not
been filed.
(x) A carrier that files a certification under paragraph (j)(4) of this
section shall have 90 days from receipt of the PSAP's written notice that it
is capable of receiving and utilizing the data elements associated with the
service requested to provide such service in accordance with the
requirements of paragraphs (d) through (h) of this section.
(5) Modification of deadlines by agreement. Nothing in this section shall
prevent Public Safety Answering Points and carriers from establishing, by
mutual consent, deadlines different from those imposed for carrier and PSAP
compliance in paragraphs (d), (f), and (g)(2) of this section.
(n) Dispatch service. A service provider covered by this section who offers
dispatch service to customers may meet the requirements of this section with
respect to customers who utilize dispatch service either by complying with
the requirements set forth in paragraphs (b) through (e) of this section, or
by routing the customer's emergency calls through a dispatcher. If the
service provider chooses the latter alternative, it must make every
reasonable effort to explicitly notify its current and potential dispatch
customers and their users that they are not able to directly reach a PSAP by
calling 911 and that, in the event of an emergency, the dispatcher should be
contacted.
(o) Non-service-initialized handsets. (1) Licensees subject to this section
that donate a non-service-initialized handset for purposes of providing
access to 911 services are required to:
(i) Program each handset with 911 plus the decimal representation of the
seven least significant digits of the Electronic Serial Number,
International Mobile Equipment Identifier, or any other identifier unique to
that handset;
(ii) Affix to each handset a label which is designed to withstand the length
of service expected for a non-service-initialized phone, and which notifies
the user that the handset can only be used to dial 911, that the 911
operator will not be able to call the user back, and that the user should
convey the exact location of the emergency as soon as possible; and
(iii) Institute a public education program to provide the users of such
handsets with information regarding the limitations of
non-service-initialized handsets.
(2) Manufacturers of 911-only handsets that are manufactured on or after May
3, 2004, are required to:
(i) Program each handset with 911 plus the decimal representation of the
seven least significant digits of the Electronic Serial Number,
International Mobile Equipment Identifier, or any other identifier unique to
that handset;
(ii) Affix to each handset a label which is designed to withstand the length
of service expected for a non-service-initialized phone, and which notifies
the user that the handset can only be used to dial 911, that the 911
operator will not be able to call the user back, and that the user should
convey the exact location of the emergency as soon as possible; and
(iii) Institute a public education program to provide the users of such
handsets with information regarding the limitations of 911-only handsets.
(3) Definitions. The following definitions apply for purposes of this
paragraph.
(i) Non-service-initialized handset. A handset for which there is no valid
service contract with a provider of the services enumerated in paragraph (a)
of this section.
(ii) 911-only handset. A non-service-initialized handset that is
manufactured with the capability of dialing 911 only and that cannot receive
incoming calls.
(p) Reseller obligation. (1) Beginning December 31, 2006, resellers have an
obligation, independent of the underlying licensee, to provide access to
basic and enhanced 911 service to the extent that the underlying licensee of
the facilities the reseller uses to provide access to the public switched
network complies with sections 20.18(d)-(g).
(2) Resellers have an independent obligation to ensure that all handsets or
other devices offered to their customers for voice communications and sold
after December 31, 2006 are capable of transmitting enhanced 911 information
to the appropriate PSAP, in accordance with the accuracy requirements of
section 20.18(i).
(q) Text-to-911 Requirements—(1) Covered Text Provider: Notwithstanding any
other provisions in this section, for purposes of this paragraph (n) of this
section, a “covered text provider” includes all CMRS providers as well as
all providers of interconnected text messaging services that enable
consumers to send text messages to and receive text messages from all or
substantially all text-capable U.S. telephone numbers, including through the
use of applications downloaded or otherwise installed on mobile phones.
(2) Automatic Bounce-back Message: an automatic text message delivered to a
consumer by a covered text provider in response to the consumer's attempt to
send a text message to 911 when the consumer is located in an area where
text-to-911 service is unavailable or the covered text provider does not
support text-to-911 service generally or in the area where the consumer is
located at the time.
(3) No later than September 30, 2013, all covered text providers shall
provide an automatic bounce-back message under the following circumstances:
(i) A consumer attempts to send a text message to a Public Safety Answering
Point (PSAP) by means of the three-digit short code “911”; and
(ii) The covered text provider cannot deliver the text because the consumer
is located in an area where:
(A) Text-to-911 service is unavailable; or
(B) The covered text provider does not support text-to-911 service at the
time.
(4)(i) A covered text provider is not required to provide an automatic
bounce-back message when:
(A) Transmission of the text message is not controlled by the provider;
(B) A consumer is attempting to text 911, through a text messaging
application that requires CMRS service, from a non-service initialized
handset;
(C) When the text-to-911 message cannot be delivered to a PSAP due to
failure in the PSAP network that has not been reported to the provider; or
(D) A consumer is attempting to text 911 through a device that is incapable
of sending texts via three digit short codes, provided the software for the
device cannot be upgraded over the air to allow text-to-911.
(ii) The provider of a preinstalled or downloadable interconnected text
application is considered to have “control” over transmission of text
messages for purposes of paragraph (n)(4)(i)(A) of this section. However, if
a user or a third party modifies or manipulates the application after it is
installed or downloaded so that it no longer supports bounce-back messaging,
the application provider will be presumed not to have control.
(5) The automatic bounce-back message shall, at a minimum, inform the
consumer that text-to-911 service is not available and advise the consumer
or texting program user to use another means to contact emergency services.
(6) Covered text providers that support text-to-911 must provide a mechanism
to allow PSAPs that accept text-to-911 to request temporary suspension of
text-to-911 service for any reason, including, but not limited to, network
congestion, call taker overload, PSAP failure, or security breach, and to
request resumption of text-to-911 service after such temporary suspension.
During any period of suspension of text-to-911 service, the covered text
provider must provide an automatic bounce-back message to any consumer
attempting to text to 911 in the area subject to the temporary suspension.
(7) Notwithstanding any other provisions in this section, when a consumer is
roaming on a covered text provider's host network pursuant to § 20.12, the
covered text provider operating the consumer's home network shall have the
obligation to originate an automatic bounce-back message to such consumer
when the consumer is located in an area where text-to-911 service is
unavailable, or the home provider does not support text-to-911 service in
that area at the time. The host provider shall not impede the consumer's 911
text message to the home provider and/or any automatic bounce-back message
originated by the home provider to the consumer roaming on the host network.
(8) A software application provider that transmits text messages directly
into the SMS network of the consumer's underlying CMRS provider satisfies
the obligations of paragraph (n)(3) of this section provided it does not
prevent or inhibit delivery of the CMRS provider's automatic bounce-back
message to the consumer.
(9) 911 text message. A 911 text message is a message, consisting of text
characters, sent to the short code “911” and intended to be delivered to a
PSAP by a covered text provider, regardless of the text messaging platform
used.
(10) Delivery of 911 text messages. (i) No later than December 31, 2014, all
covered text providers must have the capability to route a 911 text message
to a PSAP. In complying with this requirement, covered text providers must
obtain location information sufficient to route text messages to the same
PSAP to which a 911 voice call would be routed, unless the responsible local
or state entity designates a different PSAP to receive 911 text messages and
informs the covered text provider of that change. All covered text providers
using device-based location information that requires consumer activation
must clearly inform consumers that they must grant permission for the text
messaging application to access the wireless device's location information
in order to enable text-to-911. If a consumer does not permit this access,
the covered text provider's text application must provide an automated
bounce-back message as set forth in paragraph (n)(3) of this section.
(ii) Covered text providers must begin routing all 911 text messages to a
PSAP by June 30, 2015, or within six months of the PSAP's valid request for
text-to-911 service, whichever is later, unless an alternate timeframe is
agreed to by both the PSAP and the covered text provider. The covered text
provider must notify the Commission of the dates and terms of the alternate
timeframe within 30 days of the parties' agreement.
(iii) Valid Request means that:
(A) The requesting PSAP is, and certifies that it is, technically ready to
receive 911 text messages in the format requested;
(B) The appropriate local or state 911 service governing authority has
specifically authorized the PSAP to accept and, by extension, the covered
text provider to provide, text-to-911 service; and
(C) The requesting PSAP has provided notification to the covered text
provider that it meets the foregoing requirements. Registration by the PSAP
in a database made available by the Commission in accordance with
requirements established in connection therewith, or any other written
notification reasonably acceptable to the covered text provider, shall
constitute sufficient notification for purposes of this paragraph.
(iv) The requirements set forth in paragraphs (n)(10)(i) through (iii) of
this section do not apply to in-flight text messaging providers, MSS
providers, or IP Relay service providers, or to 911 text messages that
originate from Wi-Fi only locations or that are transmitted from devices
that cannot access the CMRS network.
(11) Access to SMS networks for 911 text messages. To the extent that CMRS
providers offer Short Message Service (SMS), they shall allow access by any
other covered text provider to the capabilities necessary for transmission
of 911 text messages originating on such other covered text providers'
application services. Covered text providers using the CMRS network to
deliver 911 text messages must clearly inform consumers that, absent an SMS
plan with the consumer's underlying CMRS provider, the covered text provider
may be unable to deliver 911 text messages. CMRS providers may migrate to
other technologies and need not retain SMS networks solely for other covered
text providers' 911 use, but must notify the affected covered text providers
not less than 90 days before the migration is to occur.
[ 63 FR 2637 , Jan. 16, 1998, as amended at 64 FR 60130 , Nov. 4, 1999; 64 FR 72956 , Dec. 29, 1999; 65 FR 58661 , Oct. 2, 2000; 65 FR 82295 , Dec. 28, 2000;
66 FR 55623 , Nov. 2, 2001; 67 FR 1648 , Jan. 14, 2002; 67 FR 36117 , May 23,
2002; 68 FR 2918 , Jan. 22, 2003; 69 FR 2519 , Jan. 16, 2004; 69 FR 6581 , Feb.
11, 2004; 72 FR 27708 , May 16, 2007; 73 FR 8625 , Feb. 14, 2008; 75 FR 70613 ,
Nov. 18, 2010; 76 FR 59921 , Sept. 28, 2011; 78 FR 32178 , May 29, 2013; 78 FR 64407 , Oct. 29, 2013; 79 FR 55381 , Sept. 16, 2014; 80 FR 11838 , Mar. 4,
2015]
Effective Date Notes: 1. At 68 FR 2918 , Jan. 22, 2003, in § 20.18, paragraph
(j) was revised. Paragraphs (j)(4) and (5) contain information collection
and recordkeeping requirements and will not become effective until approval
has been given by the Office of Management and Budget.
2. At 72 FR 27708 , May 16, 2007, in § 20.18, paragraph (a) was revised. The
paragraph contains information collection and recordkeeping requirements and
will not become effective until approval has been given by the Office of
Management and Budget.
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